April 6th, 1948.Dear Miss Turner;
I have been wondering why I have not heard from you for so long time. When your letter dated March 30th from Southern Pines, (North Carolina) came I know you were away from home. It is nice to get away. In calculating the time you and your good friends have know[n] each other for half a century. Indeed she would want you to comfort her when she is not so well. I know exactly what you mean about the nervous type of patient. I have many in my office. My very good friend Mrs. Yang one day worked up a digestive upset by thinking that her grandson has had an accident on crossing Pacific. She had me wire to her husband at Shanghai. She actually even did not believe the wire answer until she saw the grandson herself. I begin to think that there is something subconscious about fear, insecurity and anxiety. The emotion rules our body. As we get older we value friends more than any thing in this world. I am happy to know that you can be away from cold weather of New England and that you can be away visiting your friend and at the same time doing work for Mount Holyoke College.
Your letters do come to me for there are no Japanese with mail control now. Although rails are still in bed [sic] condition but sea and air routes are going on everywhere of sea coasts cities. With my busy life I do very little social activies. [sic] Letter reading and letter writing become my leisure happiness. Often I write between minutes waiting for something. Just now I happen to be the chairman of International Relief committee. All medical supplies and material supplies are being sent to different hospitals and cities thru this office. There are many people in office to help with this work and I direct them. It takes little time and thought to run smoothly and economically. Last winter we were able to give aid to twenty five thousand refugees and medical aid to all hospitals in North China_ 40 in number. The condition in China is like Korea where communists have made a division of our country. Their force is very great everywhere in the world. I should say their force is fearful for there is no greatnes in any bad force. China is divided, Korea is divided, India is divided, Palestine is divided and the whole world seem[s] to be in turmoil. People are takling [sic] about the third world war. It is indeed very sad where men have not learned to live in peace with each other. Here in China we are suffering from communistic destruction. Under Russian influence these communists have destroyed factories and railways to say nothing of the money wasted but time and energy for destruction. Ism is bad. Yet there are so many young people in China who actually worship this ism of destruction.
In October I was at Shanghai, Hanchow for a short time. I visited Ginling College also. The campus was very beautiful with fall colors. The college girls were very gay and happy although everything is not to her normal standard yet. P. U. M. C. has opened already and her hospital will start to function May 1st. All colleges are opening one by by. [sic] We have our problems after war. We are suffering shortage of stable food. Inflation is very bad for our people. We just can not keep up with this inflation. I spent every cent I have for it is useless to have any savings nowadays. Before the war I had a ten year policy for ten thousand dollars and now ten thousand dollars cannot even buy a cup of coffee. We and everyone have lost everything in war. We must start all over again. The best investment would be to invest in education of our youths who are going to be our leaders in future. Thus I have recently given thought to this direction. I have given two more tuition scholarships this year to Nanking University in memory of the late Mr. and Mrs. Carl Rufus who were members of Barbour Scholarship Committee. Mr. Rufus was secretary for twenty five years. Chinese students are very grateful to their kindness during our days at Michigan University.
I have a friend whose name is Rev. Samuel L. S. Lee, his address is Boston University School of Theology, 72 Mount Vernon St. Boston & Mass. The Methodist General Conference will be at Boston from April 28th to May 7th. Our Bishop Z. T. Kaung will be there. He is father of Miss Me Tsung Kaung who studied at Mount Holyoke College as a post graduate student in English Literature. Thru him I am sending you just a very tiny gift as he is travelling by air. It is impossible to get friends to take anything when travelling by air. If you would write to Rev. Le.. He would tell you were Bishop will be. I am also writing to Rev. Lee so in case Bishop should be too busy he would attend this small matter for him_ forwarding this small package by mail to you. This brings you much love.
Just be patient I will get to America once more. I am waiting for my chance. My nephew Dennis and his wife should be home for one year then go further for his studies. I feel that already he has had too much theories and he should now put what he has learned in actual work. Just now he is doing resident work in surgical department of University Hospital. It is very difficult to get in but he has gotten his M. S. in Anatomy and Physiology, so he has a better chance than others[.] I am happy that Yuch Ming is going to take her internship in America. Vung Yuin to this day she is shy at many procedures in her work. Every year I have asked her to come up to Tientsin for more practical work. She is better now but still unable to operate by herself. I wrote to Yuch Ming very frankly about the whole situation. In fact herown [sic] mother said that she would not want to see Yuch Ming if she would not listen to her. Yuch Ming has a brother who seems to be rather promising. He is a freshman at Shanghai Baptist College_ premediacl [sic] course. He is very studious in his work. This time when I was at Shanghai I really did not know all the folks of our family. So many of them I have not seen or I have forgotten. It was a good family reunion. Now I have a jeep so I can get about quickly. My chance to come to America is not far I hope. Just now I would not run away from my work.
I have noticed that Mount Holyoke College is trying to riase [sic] two million dollars. Education lights the future. This is very true. We must have the right kind of education for our youths. Every country is in need of a major profhet. [sic] Spring is here after a long cold winter. I am happy to see spring. I have dugged up my roots and put up vines. The peach tree in front of my window is in full blossom now. It is indeed beautiful. God has created a beautiful world and men have made things ugly. It is so quiet and peaceful here in my own place. When my work is finished for the day I enjoy my home either reading or typing letters. I do enjoy quietness for I see too many people everyday in my work. I am the only doctor in town without a telephone. During Japanese occupation we had to pay to Japanese for use of telephones so I took it off. It worked just as well without a phone. Now I do not want one. My work confines to office and hospital anyway so I really do not need a telephone to bother me. Your subscription of journals come to me regularly and I spend some time before going to bed for reading articles of interst [sic] to me. Then I pass these journals to our staff members and finally to library. In this way many cen [sic] get benefit for journals are very expensive for our students and doctors. So you see your journals are being used by many doctors here. I close this letter with much love to you. One day I may surprise you by a flying visit. Travel is so much easier now than few years ago. Often airmail can reach here in four days from America to China. Distance is not in our way any more. I close this letter with much love to you. Kindly remember me to my old friends at Mount Holyoke College. I guess there are very few left now. Is Miss Griffith living at South Hadley? Do remember me to her.
Yours lovingly.
Me_iung Ting.Notice_ this paper is what we call rice paper and it is good fo[r] airmail[.] I have only used this recently for I saw Ginling people use Chinese papers altoegther [sic] for thier [sic] letters.
[on a separate sheet of paper]
This is the same Me_iung whom you have known for 34 years.
At present we are doing a play called "Tui Bien", the drama of a woman doctor who transforms a corrupted and inefficient public hospital into a one which is the best administered in the country. And this she has achieved by the sheer force of her strong character and by her noble spirit. It may be of interest for you to know that this woman doctor is named "Dr. Ting", purposely no doubt as the author, Tsao Yu, is a Tientsin boy and a great admirer of your work and personality. Fleda my wife in impersonating "Dr. Ting" of course draws inspiration from you too. We wish you are here to witness this moving play which is running now to over 130 performances and is still going strong. Here again we are thankful to you for having given us a glimpse of what a great and noble life can have been lived! For once in our artistic life we are able to say to ourselves that here is not fiction but real life - the life of a great woman still in our midst!